In Del Rio today, 50-year-old Carl Wayne Wiley was sentenced to 571 months in federal prison for attempted murder of a Border Patrol agent announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Rodolfo Karisch, Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, and Christopher Combs, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle ordered that Wiley be placed on supervised release for three years after completing his prison term.
In February 2016, a jury convicted Wiley of one count of attempting to kill one or more United States Border Patrol Agents who were engaged in the performance of their official duties; one count of assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, or interfering with one or more United States Border Patrol Agents using a deadly or dangerous weapon; two counts of using and discharging a .45 caliber Ruger revolver during and in relation to the commission of the aforementioned crimes of violence; and, one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding United States Border Patrol Agents.
According to court records, in 2014, Wiley was wanted on State charges for Murder and Attempted Murder in Midland, TX, and was fleeing prosecution. In the early morning hours of June 29, 2014, Wiley was spotted by Border Patrol agents in Sanderson, TX. Wiley took the agents on a high speed pursuit before crashing his vehicle. He fled on foot into the brush and avoided arrest by stealing an ATV, then a pickup truck, as well as several firearms from nearby ranches.
On June 30, 2014, an off duty Comstock Border Patrol Agent observed Wiley traveling East on Highway 90 near the Comstock Border Patrol checkpoint. Approximately four miles north of Comstock, an agent attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. When the agent activated the emergency equipment, Wiley crashed through a ranch fence and continued driving across the pasture further into the ranch. The vehicle came to a stop after colliding with a tree and Wiley absconded on foot into the brush.
Wiley led responding agents on a foot pursuit and shot at one agent who was closing in on him. As he continued to evade agents, Wiley fired his weapon again at a group of approaching agents. When the agents were eventually able to surround Wiley, he ultimately dropped his weapon and was arrested.
This case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the United States Border Patrol, Val Verde Sheriff’s Office and the Midland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Katherine Griffin prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.